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Alcohol, tobacco and drug consumption rise over last five years

Consumption of alcohol, tobacco and illegal psychoactive substances, mainly cannabis, have increased in the last five years in Portugal, according to a study by the Intervention Service for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (SICAD).

"We have seen a rise in the prevalence of alcohol and tobacco consumption and of every illicit psychoactive substance (essentially affected by the weight of cannabis use in the population aged 15-74) between 2012 and 2016/17, according to the 4thNational Survey on the Use of Psychoactive Substances in the General Population, Portugal 2016/17.

The study focused on the use of legal psychoactive substance (alcohol, tobacco, sedatives, tranquilizers and/or hypnotics, and anabolic steroids), and illegal drugs (cannabis, ecstasy, amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, LSD, magic mushrooms and of new psychoactive substances), as well as gambling practices.

According to the study, alcohol consumption shows increases in lifetime prevalence, both among the total population (15-74 years) and among the young adult population (15-34 years), and among both men and women.

Tobacco consumption shows a slight rise in lifetime prevalence, which, according to the report, "is mainly due to increased consumption among women."

The study also saw an increase from 8.3% in 2012, to 10.2% in 2016/17, in the prevalence of illegal psychoactive substance use.

There were increases in both genders when considering the total population, a decrease among men and a rise among young adult women.

"These are the trends found for cannabis," the most popular illegal substance, according to the provisional results of the study.

Compared to 2012, there is a later average onset age of consumption for alcohol, tobacco, drugs, amphetamines, heroin, LSD and hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Comments

Here in Canada we have a huge problem with marijuana and youth and an aggressive marijuana lobby and industry who are now being granted export licenses to pollute the rest of the world and make these pot entrepreneurs wealthy - they are Big Marijuana and they are cut from the same cloth as Big Bad Tobacco - possibily worse given the congenital abnormalities linked to marijuana use

by Pamela McColl from USA on 20-09-2017 06:44:00

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